Awl.



l. F. STANDISH.

AWL.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.A|2.1914.

1 1 98,486. Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Fig.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. STANDISH, OF WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE iMACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AWL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 19, 191e.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. STANDISH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Winthrop, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Awls, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicatinglike parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to awls, such as are used in heel pricking, heelattaching, and like machines, for pricking holes in heels to receive theheel attaching nails.

For performing the operation mentioned it is customary to employ an awlhaving a flat end at right angles to the axis of the awl. Such an awlwill make a smooth, clean, straight hole, but it is hard to drive andthe flat end compresses and drives a pellet of material ahead of itwhich interferes with the driving of the nail. It is diflicult to drivethe soft point of the nail through this hardened pellet of material,which has a very great tendency to deflect the nail out of a straightpath. Awls having conical or pointed ends have also been used and havethe advantages of being easier to drive and of leaving the bottom ofthehole of a form suitable for centering and guiding the nail, but whendriven in to any considerable depth, as is necessary in pricking highheels, it has been found that there is a considerable tendency forpointed awls to be deflected out of a straight path, with the resultthat when the heel attaching nails are driven they are likely to emergefrom the side of the heel, or be driven so close to the side of the heelthat they will be struck by the heel trimming or heel breasting knives.This not only spoils the heel, but damages or breaks the knife.

It is the object of the present invention to produce an awl which shallbe free from those objections and which, therefore, will insure theproduction in the heel of a straight hole, properly formed to center andguide the point of the nail; and which may be driven into, and withdrawnfrom, the heel with a minimum of power.

IVith these ends in view, the invention comprises an awl for heelmachines having a penetrating portion with a substantially fiat end,thus providing a square cutting edge, and having upon the flat end arounded or pointed protuberance which penetrates or makes an indentationin the hardened material ahead of the awl. The protuberance is not longenough to cause the awl to be deflected from a straight path, but itgives to the bottom of the awl hole a proper formation for centering andguiding the nail point and penetrates the hardened stock sufficiently tomake the driving of the nail easy. The protuberance is preferablysomewhat pointed and of a height not greater than the diameter of thepenetrating portion of the body of the awl. v

A further feature of the invention consists in a pricking awl formed insuch a way as to reduce to a minimum the frictional re sistance toinserting the awl into and withdrawing it from the work. This result issecured by reducing somewhat the diameter of the greater part of thatportion of the awl which enters the heel, to provide relief orclearance, so that there is a minimum amount of awl surface infrictional contact with the sides of the hole. The difliculty thusovercome is particularly noticeable when ordinary cylindrical awls arebeing withdrawn from a heel, as the leather clings so tenaciously to theawls that a great deal of force is required to draw them out, thesmaller sizes sometimes even being p lled in lwo1 in the attempt to pullthem out of the In the following specification and accompanying drawingsa. selected embodiment of the invention is described and illustrated,but it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in otherforms and is limited only as defined in the annexed claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal section of anordinary heel with the usual square ended awl in it; Fig. 2 is afragmentary enlarged view of a section of the heel shown in Fig. 1, witha heel attaching nail partly driven; Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of anawl constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 is anenlarged sectional view of a portion of a heel with' the awl in it; andFig. 5 is a view of the portion of the heel shown in Fig. 4, with a heelattaching nail partly driven.

Referring to Fig. l, 2 indicates an ordinary shoe heel which has beenpenetrated by an awl 4 having the customary fiat end 6. As this awl isdriven into the heel, a pellet 8 of the heel stock is formed in advanceof the point of the awl and becomes progressively larger and harder themore I deeply the awl is driven. lVhen a heel attaching nail 10 isstarted in the hole, its point encounters the hardened pellet ofmaterial 8. Heel nails are soft and easily bent, in order that theirpoints may be clenched properly, and when the point of the nail strikesthe hardened material at 8 it encounters such resistance that there is agreat tendency for the nail to be deflected from its pathas shown at 12,into a portion of the heel stock which offers less resistance. Suchnails are liable not so to enter the shoe as to effect firm attachmentof the heel and are likely to be struck by the heel trimming cutter orthe heel breasting knife, even if they do not actually emerge from thesides of the heel at first.

The awl 14, shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which is constructed in accordancewith the present invention, has a penetrating portion 16 which is flatended to form a square cutting edge or shoulder 18 around its periphery.

A protuberance 20 is centrally formed upon the flat end of thepenetrating portion 16 of the awl and is preferably somewhat pointed,although it is not essential that it should be of the eXact formillustrated in the drawings. It must, however, not be so long, or high,as to have enough guiding action upon the awl to make it liable todeflect the awl from the straight path which it otherwise would followby reason of the flat end and square cutting edge 18. It has been foundby experiment that, when the protuberance 20 is not greater in heightthan the diameter of the portion 16 of the awl, there is no tendency todeflect the awl from a straight path and it may be less in height thanthe said diameter and the hardened material ahead of the awl will stillbe penetrated sufficiently to make the driving of the nail easy. Inorder to avoid the formation of a substantial shoulder near the bottomof the hole, upon which the point of a nail would be liable to catch,with the result that it would not be properly centered, the diameter ofthe protuberance at its base is preferably only slightly less than thatof the portion 16, it only being necessary to have a well definedcutting edge at 18 in order to cause the awl to travel in a straightpath. The protuberance 20, as shown, being short and having a relativelylarge diameter, forms a depression in the bottom of the hole having sucha shape as automatically to center the nail point with certainty andprecision.

In Fig. 5 a nail 22 is shown which is driven nearlythrongh a heelpricked as illustrated in Fig. 4. It will be apparent that there is notendency for the point of the nail to be deflected laterally and,therefore, no danger of insecure attachment of the heel from this causenor of the nail being struck by the breasting knife or trimming cutter.Such an awl as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has the further advantage thatit can be driven with less expenditure of power than is necessary in thecase of the ordinary flat ended awl.

The friction between the surface of a cylindrical awl and the sides ofthe hole formed by it is very great and offers great resistance both tothe driving and the withdrawal of the awl. In the embodiment of thepresent invention herein illustrated the shank portion'of the awl isreduced somewhat in diameter, as shown at 24, so that there is a.minimum amount of surface in frictional contact with the sides of theawl. This reduces the amount of power necessary to drive the awl andalso greatly reducesthe resistance to the withdrawal of-the awl from theheel, The latter point is one of importance inasmuch as the frictionalresistance to the withdrawal of a cylindrical awl from a deeply prickedheel often causes breakage of awls and checking of the heel.

aving described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is 1. An awl for pricking heels comprising apenetrating portion having a flat end with a square cutting edge, andapointed, penetrating protuberance, vof slightly less diameter, on theflat end, the height of the protuberance being not greater than thediameter of the said penetrating portion.

2. An awl for pricking heels comprising a penetrating portion having afiat end with a square cutting edge, and a pointed, penetratingprotuberance, of slightly less diameter, on the fiat end, the height ofthe protuberance being less than the diameter of the said penetratingportion.

3. An awl for pricking heels comprising a penetrating portion havingupon its end atapered protuberance of slightly less diameter, the heightof which is so proportioned with relation to the diameter of the saidpenetrating portion as to permit the awl to be driven withoutsubstantial deflection from a straight path.

4. An awl for pricking heels. comprising a penetrating portion havingupon its end a tapered protuberance of relatively large diameter, theheight of which is less than the diameter of the said penetratingportion.

5. An awl for pricking heels having a short, cylindrical, penetratingportion, and a shank portion adapted to enter the heel and of lessdiameter than the said vpenetrating portion.

6. An awl fory pricking heels having a short, cylindrical, cutting andpenetrating portion constructed to make a hole larger in diameter thanthe following portion of the awl.

7. An awl for pricking heels having a short, cylindrical, penetratingportion, a reduced heel entering shank portion, and a protuberance uponthe advance end of the penetrating portion.

8. An awl for pricking heels comprising a cylindrical heel penetratingportion 16 having a square cutting edge 18 for insuring straight drivingof the awl, and a short, pointed protuberance 20 the diameter of whichis nearly equal to that of the cylindrical portion, the protuberancebeing So formed as to make in the bottom of the awl hole a depressionshaped to insure the proper centering of the point of a heel nail. Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN F. STANDISH. Witnesses:

JAMES O. WRIGHT, HARLOW M. DAVIS,

Copies of thil patent muy be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of l-atents, Washington, D. C.

